Chicago Cubs: Remember these players from the past decade

The Chicago Cubs have had some great players over the past decade. Yet here we highlight ten Cubs who few fans talk about but who had nice seasons.

The Chicago Cubs have had a lot of great players over the past decade. Indeed, you would expect that to be the case when you make four straight playoff appearances, including a World Championship in 2016. In fact, I previously ranked the 50 greatest Cubs players of the 2010s.

Yet throughout the decade, there have also been some players who had nice seasons but perhaps don’t get the recognition that they should. The decade started with those weak teams from 2010 and 2011, when Jim Hendry was still the general manager and tried to make some desperate moves to save a sinking ship. Instead, the team finished well under .500 both years.

Then came the lean years of 2012-2014, when the team was rebuilding under Theo Epstein. Cubs fans didn’t have much to root for in terms of a winning team, but there were still some players who had nice seasons back then. Picking a player from each year who “quietly” had a nice season was a bit of a challenge in some cases.

During the winning run from 2015-2019, picking a player who “quietly” had a nice season was a challenge as well, but for different reasons. We all know the star players from these teams, so choosing a player that flew under the radar and contributed a lot was a bit difficult. Yet, I was able to find one player from each year.

My main rule for selecting a player from each year was that they had to be a player who didn’t make my top 50 list mentioned earlier. I wanted to pick someone who doesn’t get much recognition but still contributed in big ways. With that, let’s take a look at our list, starting with 2010.

Chicago Cubs: Tyler Colvin in 2010

The Chicago Cubs kicked off the 2010s with a disappointing 75-87 record. However, it could have been a lot worse, as Mike Quade took over as interim manager after Lou Piniella abruptly left during the season. Under Quade, the Cubs went 24-13 to close out the year. The strong finish helped propel Quade to the permanent manager role in 2011.

For 2010, I decided to highlight Tyler Colvin, an outfielder the Cubs drafted in the first round (13th overall) in 2006. Colvin got into six games in 2009, but in 2010, as a rookie, he got into 135 games. That year, he hit 20 home runs, good for third on the team behind Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano, and he put up a nice .816 OPS.

Colvin followed up that promising year with an incredibly disappointing performance in 2011. That year, he batted just .150 with six home runs in 80 games. When Theo Epstein came in after the 2011 season, one of his first moves was to trade Colvin and DJ LeMahieu to the Colorado Rockies for Casey Weathers and Ian Stewart.

It ended up being one of Epstein’s worst moves. Colvin had a great 2012 with the Rockies, batting .290 with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs to go along with an .858 OPS. However, his career quickly fizzled out after that, and he last appeared in the majors with the San Francisco Giants in 2014. The even more painful part of that trade is that LeMahieu continues to be a star, currently with the New York Yankees.

Chicago Cubs: Kerry Wood in 2011

2011 was Mike Quade’s only season as Cubs manager, as the team went 71-91. It would be the end of an era, as it was the last season under Jim Hendry. Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano are among those who played their final season with the Cubs that year. 2011 also marked the return of a Cubs legend.

It’s hard to categorize Kerry Wood as an “underrated” player or “unsung hero”, but he quietly had a nice year for the Cubs in 2011. Wood had converted to a reliever during his first stint with the Cubs after injuries forced him to stop starting. He pitched for the Cleveland Indians in 2009 and part of 2010 before being traded to the Yankees. Wood was masterful in the Bronx, allowing just two earned runs in 26 innings pitched. That earned him another shot with the Cubs in 2011.

The big right-hander got into 55 games that year, pitching 51 innings, and put up a solid 3.35 ERA. He also continued his career-long trend of piling up strikeouts, with a rate of 10.1 per nine innings of work.

Wood began the 2012 season with the Cubs, but he struggled to start the year and decided to retire. His last outing, in which he struck out Dayan Viciedo of the Chicago White Sox, was one of the highlights of what was otherwise a miserable 2012 season. I’ll never forget the long-standing ovation he received from the audience at Wrigley Field that day as he walked off the field to end his career.

Chicago Cubs: Bryan LaHair in 2012

2012 was one of the worst seasons in Chicago Cubs history. It was the first year under the Theo Epstein regime and also the first year under another new manager, Dale Sveum. The Cubs went 61-101, and there were few individual performances to get excited about. However, there were a few choices for my “unsung hero.”

I considered Tony Campana, who batted .264 and stole 30 bases while playing center field. I also considered two relievers, Shawn Camp and James Russell, as the former got into 80 games and the later into 77 games while both posting ERAs in the 3.00’s. However, I decided to go with All-Star first baseman Bryan LaHair.

LaHair became the Cubs’ primary first baseman to start 2012 after the club decided not to retain Carlos Pena, who lasted just one year as a Cub. LaHair performed well in a brief audition in 2011, and the team decided he would fill in while they awaited the arrival of Anthony Rizzo. LaHair was batting .303 as late as June 14, with 12 home runs, earning him a spot on the National League All-Star team. That included a grand slam in St. Louis in the defending champion Cardinals’ home opener.

However, LaHair quickly faded after that, and Rizzo was called up and took over in the second half. LaHair wouldn’t play in the majors again after 2012, but his brief career ended on a high note: On the final day of the season, against the Houston Astros, he hit a walkoff single.

Chicago Cubs: Kevin Gregg in 2013

2013 would be Dale Sveum’s second and final year as manager of the Chicago Cubs, as the team didn’t show much progress, finishing 66-96. It wasn’t entirely Sveum’s fault, as he didn’t have a great roster to work with. One reason 2013 was important was that it was Anthony Rizzo’s first full season with the team.

For a player to highlight from 2013, there were a few choices. I considered Nate Schierholtz, an outfielder who got into 137 games and hit 21 home runs with 68 RBIs, both second on the team behind Rizzo. There was also Dioner Navarro, who split time with Welington Castillo at catcher and batted .300 with 13 home runs. James Russell was again solid out of the bullpen, as was Blake Parker.

However, in this case, I went with closer Kevin Gregg. This was his second stint as Cubs closer; he also was the Cubs’ stopper in 2009, as the Cubs brought him in following a couple of successful seasons as the Florida Marlins closer.

The right-hander didn’t have a great season in 2009, posting a 4.72 ERA. He was better in 2013, signing with the team early in the season after the Los Angeles Dodgers released him. Gregg posted a 3.48 ERA and earned 33 saves, the second-highest total of a career that included 177 of them.

Gregg didn’t come back to the Cubs after the 2013 season. In fact, 2013 would be the last good season he had. He last pitched in the majors for the Cincinnati Reds in 2015.

Chicago Cubs: Jason Motte in 2015

It is in 2015 that it became harder to select an “under the radar” player, as many of the stars that we know and love started to arrive that year and the team started winning. The team decided to drop Rick Renteria after just one season and brought in Joe Maddon, believing that the rebuild was near completion and that the team was ready to take a big step forward. The team also made a lot of moves to shore up the roster on the field.

I had to mainly look in the bullpen to try to find an underappreciated player. Justin Grimm had a tremendous season, but again he made the top 50 list. Clayton Richard was also decent from the left side. However, I decided to go with the former St. Louis Cardinals closer, Jason Motte.

From 2010 to 2012, Motte had three straight great years out of the Cardinals’ bullpen, which culminated in his serving as the team’s closer in 2012, earning a league-high 42 saves. However, he had to miss all of 2013 due to injury, and when he came back he wasn’t as effective in 2014. He became a free agent after the 2014 season, and the Cubs took a flyer on him. He was solid, posting a 3.91 ERA in 48 1/3 innings.

Motte would not return to the Cubs the following season. After his lone year on the north side of Chicago, he pitched a year with the Colorado Rockies and a year with the Atlanta Braves. He was decent both years but didn’t pitch in the majors after 2017.

Chicago Cubs: Trevor Cahill in 2016

2016 was the year in which our dreams came true and the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series after a 108-year drought. Because of that, names such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jon Lester, and Jake Arrieta will forever remain sacred in Cubs lore. Even David Ross will remain a legend, and the success he had with the Cubs as a mentor to the younger players helped propel him to the manager’s job just three years later.

However, there are a few players from that year that are often overlooked. There’s Matt Szczur, who didn’t make the postseason roster but was a solid bench player for most of the season. Joe Smith was a midseason acquisition who quietly was solid out of the bullpen. And though he didn’t play a role in the playoffs, Jason Hammel continues to be overlooked as a great fifth starter for most of the season (though he made the top 50 list).

For my underrated Cub from 2016, I went with Trevor Cahill. The right-hander was a converted starter after he had a nice run with the Oakland Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he was great in a brief relief stint with the Cubs in 2015. In 2016, Cahill pitched 65 2/3 innings and allowed just 20 earned runs.

Though Cahill had a nice season, he was left off the Cubs’ postseason roster. He has since bounced around to a few different teams and pitched for the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, both as a starter and as a reliever.

Chicago Cubs: Jon Jay in 2017

2017 was the “hangover” year for the Chicago Cubs, as they were coming off their World Series championship and didn’t perform up to expectations during the first half of the season. However, they came on strong again in the second half and were able to take the NL Central title with a 92-70 record. They then squeaked by the Washington Nationals in the Division Series before losing to a superior Los Angeles Dodgers team in the NL Championship Series.

There were a few players from that team that performed well but haven’t received the recognition. Albert Almora, Jr. made the top 50 list, though he had an underappreciated 2017, batting .298. As a rookie, Ian Happ actually was fourth on the team with 24 home runs, though he too made the list. Out of the bullpen, Brian Duensing had a great year, while Koji Uehara was also solid.

However, as my pick to highlight for 2017, I went with outfielder Jon Jay. While playing for the rival St. Louis Cardinals, Jay always managed to find his way into the lineup no matter who the Cardinals brought onto their roster. Jay got into 141 games for the Cubs in 2017, and though he didn’t hit for much power, he batted a solid .296 with a .374 OBP. Jay was also versatile, seeing significant time at all three outfield spots.

The Cubs didn’t bring Jay back after his lone year with the Cubs in 2017. He spent 2018 with the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks, while he played for the Chicago White Sox in 2019.

Chicago Cubs: Justin Wilson in 2018

2018 will always feel like a missed opportunity for the Chicago Cubs. Despite all the grief that the team got for their lack of hitting down the stretch, they still played to a 95-67 record. However, the Milwaukee Brewers also finished the season with that same record, and they beat the Cubs in a one-game playoff for the division title. The Cubs then lost to the Colorado Rockies in the National League Wild Card Game.

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It was hard to find a player to highlight from 2018, since most of the players who had good seasons made the top 50 list. I found it hard to find a player, as I did for 2015, but 2018 was different because several key players had down seasons. Javier Baez was one player who did not, as he finished second in NL MVP voting.

I decided to look to the bullpen to find a player, but many of the key hurlers there made the top 50 list as well, including Steve Cishek, Carl Edwards, Jr., and Pedro Strop. For 2018, I decided to go with Justin Wilson. The southpaw came over from the Detroit Tigers in the middle of the 2017 season, along with catcher Alex Avila. Wilson wasn’t great down the stretch for the Cubs in 2017, but he was better in 2018, posting a 3.46 ERA and striking out 11.4 batters per nine innings.

The Cubs decided not to bring Wilson back after the 2018 season, and he left as a free agent. He signed with the New York Mets and was great for them in 2019, posting a 2.54 ERA in 39 innings.

Chicago Cubs: Rowan Wick in 2019

What more can we say about the Chicago Cubs’ 2019 season that hasn’t already been said? The team was a big disappointment, finishing 84-78 and missing the playoffs for the first time in five years. 2019 saw the end of manager Joe Maddon’s tenure with the Cubs, and the team brought in David Ross to try to help turn things around in 2020.

I had to look to the bullpen again to find an under the radar performer for 2019, and there were two obvious candidates. One was Kyle Ryan, a Detroit Tigers castoff who didn’t even pitch in 2018 and helped to solidify the bullpen from the left side, posting a 3.54 ERA in 61 innings pitched. Ryan will almost certainly be counted on to be a key piece to the bullpen in 2020.

However, I decided to go with Rowan Wick, another arm the Cubs will be relying on to start the 2020 season. In 2019, Wick got into 31 games, pitching 33 1/3 innings and allowing just nine earned runs. Wick’s only previous big league experience came in a short and unimpressive stint with the San Diego Padres in 2018. The right-hander may have been overshadowed by the bigger names such as Brandon Kintzler and Steve Cishek, along with the struggles of closer Craig Kimbrel.

It seemed appropriate to write a column like this now, as the Chicago Cubs have been going bargain hunting in their additions to the team so far this offseason. With supposedly little money to spend, they are trying to find those under-the-radar types that they hope will find something and be solid contributors in 2020. Will any of these moves work? That remains to be seen. Yet what we can take from this article is that there are some underappreciated players that the Cubs have had this past decade. They are out there to be found.